Max woke with a jolt, the soft chime of a notification breaking the silence. The message glowed before him: "Forced Break: 30 minutes remaining." He sighed in relief, grateful he had some time left to gather himself. Sitting up, he stretched, feeling the strain of his earlier battles ease off with each breath. He was close to the record floor, and it wouldn't be long before he was pushing into completely unknown territory.
With his stomach growling, he reached into his inventory and pulled out a small tiffin box. Inside were spicy chicken wings, and the familiar smell instantly made his mouth water. He noticed a small note tucked inside: "Best of luck, brother. I know you'll succeed. - Sam." He felt a rare warmth spread through his chest, a momentary reminder of home. A small smile crept onto his face as he remembered his brother's unwavering support.
As he bit into the wings, savoring the spices, a series of notifications blinked into view, one after another. But among them, one message stood out, drawing his immediate attention.
Trait Upgrade: Soul Usurpation (E)
The details of the upgrade unfolded before him, turning his straightforward ability into something far more powerful.
Soul Usurpation (E): Grants the ability to absorb essence and skills from defeated foes. 20% chance to acquire a skill. Stat gains are proportional to the level and quality of the absorbed soul.
Max's heart raced. His Soul Usurpation was no longer just an ability to absorb random stats—it had become a refined tool, granting him skills and meaningful, consistent stat boosts that corresponded to each monster's own unique power.
As he processed the transformation, a new message flashed before him.
Abyssal Dominion has gathered enough causality to level up. Would you like to proceed?
The idea of a system leveling up was entirely foreign to him, and he hesitated for a moment. But without missing a beat, he tapped Yes. The familiar black-and-gold screen cracked, then shattered entirely, leaving him feeling oddly exposed. The sensation passed quickly, and the system reappeared, looking much the same as before. But as he opened the interface, he noticed something completely new.
System Upgrade Complete
New Features Unlocked:
Shop: A place to purchase items and skills.Skill Acquisition: Skills can now be obtained more easily based on your actions.System Currency – Coins: Coins are earned through battles, achievements, and significant actions.
You have become the first 'Player.' 1,000 Coins awarded.
Coins, labeled as causality, appeared in the corner of his vision. Then his Eye of Odin activated, giving him further insight: causality was a cosmic balance—a representation of his actions in the dungeon, his battles, and his victories. He could exchange causality, in the form of coins, for items, skills, and other unknown advantages. Though he didn't fully understand this power, he felt a new wave of possibilities open before him.
Taking a deep breath, he reviewed his current status, letting the thrill of the recent upgrade fuel his confidence.
Flashback: Silver's Challenge on Floor 20
Far below, on Floor 20, Sophia Silver was locked in a fierce battle against a massive Bakeneko, a creature from Japanese folklore. It was a massive, two-tailed cat, its fur a sleek midnight black, and its eyes glowed with cunning intelligence. The Bakeneko circled her, its low growl reverberating in the air, tail flicking like a whip.
Sophia held her ground, her sword glowing faintly as she channeled her magic into the blade. She watched its every movement, prepared for the sudden dart she knew would come.
The Bakeneko lunged, claws outstretched, but Sophia was ready. She sidestepped, twisting to avoid its claws, and countered with a swift upward slash. Her blade connected, the magic sparking upon contact, and the creature let out a hiss of pain.
Skill: Fire Burst Activated.
With a flick of her wrist, Sophia released a burst of flame along her sword, scorching the creature's side. The Bakeneko yowled, staggering back, its illusions flickering as it tried to retreat.
She seized the opportunity, charging forward and delivering a final, powerful thrust through its heart. The creature collapsed, fading into mist as Sophia exhaled, wiping sweat from her brow. Every victory was another step closer to proving her strength in this unforgiving environment.
Teacher and Student Observations
Back in the observation hall, an air of excitement filled the room. The teachers watched their screens, monitoring the progress of each student, but all eyes kept returning to Max's display, where he had just broken the record by reaching Floor 36.
Ms. Hartford leaned over, her eyes wide. "Thirty-six floors... and he's still going. No one's ever attempted Hell difficulty solo like this."
Mr. Caldwell nodded, his usual stern demeanor softened by a hint of awe. "For a solo player, it's unheard of."
Principal Mordy, observing quietly, finally spoke up. "He's setting a new benchmark," he said, his voice tinged with pride. "Max Miller has redefined what we believed possible."
Among the students, whispers filled the air, each new floor Max ascended adding to the legend forming around him. Even the juniors watching remotely felt the buzz, talking excitedly amongst themselves.
Current Standings Announcement
Suddenly, a notification appeared across all screens, announcing the top three scores so far in the tutorial.
Top 3 Tutorial Scores So Far:
Max Miller: 1,200,000 pointsSophia Silver: 140,000 pointsArlen Grace: 76,000 points
The silence that followed was palpable, then quickly broke as students gasped and murmured.
"Over a million points?" one student asked, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Is he even human?" another muttered.
Arlen Grace scowled, his frustration barely hidden. To him, Max had always been the guy who just didn't measure up—quiet, unassuming. And now? Now he was surpassing everyone, leaving them all behind.
Aden watched with a sour expression, jealousy burning in his chest. He thought he should've been the one making waves, not Max.
Sophia's reaction was different. She gazed thoughtfully at the screen, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. She had always respected Max's quiet resilience. Memories of their shared moments drifted back to her: the time he'd shared his lunch with her when she'd forgotten hers; the day he discreetly handed her his jacket when she'd accidentally stained her skirt. That simple act had saved her from embarrassment in front of their classmates.
Her heart beat a little faster as she thought about how much he'd grown, about how his strength was something she had always admired, even before his Awakening. She'd seen something in him back then, and now the world was starting to see it too.
Around her, other students muttered amongst themselves, stunned by the new leaderboard.
Max first made new bone amour using the big quadra-monster, Inspired on how the monster had defense, he compresed the bones and started layering them, making it compfortable , flexible and extry strong. Instead of creating different parts, he made bone plates, then started placing them on him as a joint suit kind of thing, merging the bone-plates while it was on him. The armour now felt as if it was part of his own body.
Skill: Bone Creation has Leveled up!
He checked his status...
Abyssal Dominion
Name: Max Miller
Race: Human
Class: Shadowrune
Trait: Soul Usurpation (E)
Permanent Stat Increase: Absorbing essence from defeated foes increases Max's stats permanently. The increase is proportional to the level and quality of the soul absorbed.
Skill Acquisition: 20% chance to acquire a skill from defeated foes when their essence is absorbed.
Level: 29
HP: 10,800
Defense: 3,400
Strength: 158
Agility: 165
Stamina: 147
Mana: 132
Vitality: 108
Sense: 144
Skills:
Bone Manipulation (Level 5): Enhanced control over bone structures, allowing for complex manipulations and creations.
Bone Creation (Level 5): Ability to craft high-durability items and armor with specialized functions, capable of integrating additional materials beyond bones. Synergistic combinations may improve or reduce defense.
Bone Equip (Level 3): Integrates bone armor within the body, reducing defense by half when stored.
Soul Flame (Level 1): Burns a target's soul, dealing 5 HP of direct damage per second, bypassing armor defenses.
Wind Barrier (Level 4): Creates a shield of swirling wind that deflects physical projectiles and reduces incoming damage.
Regeneration (Level 3): Accelerates HP recovery over time.
Venomous Blood (Level 2): Blood is laced with poison, causing damage to enemies who strike in close combat.
Ogre's Vitality (Level 2): Passively boosts stamina and vitality.
Basilisk's Gaze (Level 1): Instills fear in weaker creatures when eye contact is made.
Enhanced Reflexes (Level 1): Boosts agility and reaction speed in critical moments.
Poison Mist (Level 1): Releases a cloud of toxic gas that poisons any creature caught within its radius.
Scale Armor (Level 1): Temporarily enhances defense by hardening the skin to scale-like toughness.
Vampiric Touch (Level 1): Absorbs a small amount of HP from opponents when physical contact is made.
Lightning Charge (Level 2): Briefly charges weapons or fists with electricity for a powerful attack.
Enhanced Hearing (Level 1): Significantly improves auditory perception.
Electropoison Blade (Level 1): Creates a blade imbued with ice, wind, electricity, and poison. Deals swift, multi-elemental damage, stunning targets and inflicting poison for 50 HP per second for 10 seconds. Mana cost: 50.
Max, unaware of the impact his progress had made on those around him, stepped onto the 36th floor with newfound determination. The system upgrade, his trait evolution, and his memories of those he cared about reminded him that he wasn't just fighting for himself. He was making his mark, one floor at a time, and he was ready to take on whatever the dungeon had in store.